General News
21 February, 2024
McArthur: who will own 12 apostles land?
QUESTIONS have been raised about the future ownership of 32 hectare of the Twelve Apostles land at the centre of a state government compulsory acquisition campaign.
Despite the current owners being willing and able to develop and privately fund a visitor centre, the state government is proceeding with its plan to complete a publicly funded precinct.
Member for Western Victoria Bev McArthur slammed the decision to proceed with the project using compulsory acquisition powers and public money.
“The Nesseler family and Victorians deserve to know if the land the government eventually acquires will be handed over to a third party or managed as a commercial enterprise by the government itself,” she said.
Mrs McArthur raised her concerns about the future ownership and development of the site in parliament.
She asked whether “land acquired by Development Victoria would be leased, sold, or handed over to any third party, for example the Eastern Maar Corporation or an overseas entity?”
Mrs McArthur has been a vocal critic of the state government’s decision to proceed with the project.
She said if this land were to be developed and administered by a third party, it would be a “slap in the face for the owners”.
“Should the land-grab proceed we can all say goodbye to the safeguards which once protected private property,” Mrs McArthur said.
“This government talks but never listens. The property owners have been telling this socialist Labor government, hellbent on running roughshod over individuals, families and businesses, that they are keen to undertake this project privately.”
She said not only was the acquisition of the privately owned land against the will of the owners and would damage their existing tourism business, it would cost the taxpayer “hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation for the land, and construction of the project”.
“It will also inevitably be a pale reflection of what a privately built and operated facility could have offered,” Mrs McArthur claimed.
“Governments should only use coercive powers to acquire private property for essential state public infrastructure needs, and definitely not for commercial purposes or to gift the confiscated land to third parties.”
The State Government said there were no plans to transfer or gift the land outside of government ownership.